We Believed in a Broken Promise
by SheerwaterPhoenix
Summary: A series of short little one-shots for the banded bats in Scirocco's colony. Some are based on the book, some on the show. First in my "We Weren't Just Nameless Faces" series.
1. She Saved Me

**The character in this one is the one on the story's cover image.**

**This one is based on the cartoon.**

The young Nightwing bat heard someone cry out, "Everyone! _Fly!_" Her small size would help her to avoid being knocked out of the air by the fear-driven swarm of bats, but would also make it easier for her to be floored by the battering wings of the fleeing bats.

Her eyes wide with terror, she took flight. Amid screeches of terror and confusion, she attempted to weave around the cloud of pummeling wings.

_No!_

The strong beat of a Graywing male's wing caught her wingtip, causing her to tumble through the air, crashing painfully down right at the exit to the Human cabin.

The nearing beat of wings startled her and she jerked her head up, but was met only with the sight of the newcomer Brightwing's face—Marina, the Nightwing thought she was called.

Marina wrapped her bright wings around her and gave her a reassuring touch on the shoulder, then helped her up.

"Go," Marina urged her, "go!"

She needed no further bidding. Immediately spreading her dark wings, she beat them and rose right back into the air. Flapping hurriedly, she caught up with the rest of the colony that had escaped, and this time managed to stay in the air until the panic of the banded bats was dulled enough for them to fly orderly.

The cold air stung, even though it had stopped snowing a while ago. It was especially painful on the young bat's band, the metal already a searing cold against her forearm. She winced; it had been a while since she had left the warm safety of the Human cabin roost.

Looking back over her shoulder, she spotted the two giant bats that the Silverwing—the one without a band—had warned her colony about. _The cannibals._

She hoped everyone had gotten out safe. Had Marina? Marina had helped her escape, saved her _life_, and she desperately wanted her rescuer to survive. Marina didn't deserve to be eaten.

But all the Nightwing could do was keep flying and hope.

**I apologize for the shortness, but I called it a 'short little one-shot' for a reason. More on the way!**


	2. I Can't Leave Them

**This one is based on the book.**

The old Brightwing couldn't take off properly. He knew that if he tried, his fragile, ancient wings would give out instantly. As the giant bats burst into the roost, he retreated into the shadows as far as he could—it was his only option. He didn't want to, he hated retreating, but he had to after seeing what the cannibals did to the others in his colony of banded bats.

It was terrible. The evil giants bit off heads, ripped out the beating hearts of his friends, his colony, the only ones who ever accepted him banded. Teeth flashed, jaws snapped. Everyone was bloody, broken, either injured horribly or dead. And, to make it worse than it already was, the two cannibal bats tore the bands, the symbols of Nocturna's Promise, from the forearms of the dead, sometimes going as far to snapping wing bones to get the shining pieces of metal. The Brightwing tried to block it out, close his ears and eyes, but he knew what was happening.

But where was Nocturna? Shouldn't she be saving her chosen, the ones she chose to be marked by the Humans to return to the day? She _chose_ them! Surely she did not want them dead.

And what of Scirocco? He was their leader, specially selected by Nocturna to lead them in the Transformation. Was he already dead, killed trying to save his colony? Or was he cowering, too fearful to protect his own?

Confused and terrified, the old Brightwing's heart shuddered at the knowledge of what was happening to his fellow banded bats. They were being murdered horribly, and what was he doing? Hiding back in the shadows! They were the only ones who had cared for him after he had been banded, even his own former colony had driven him out after being banded! These bats were his only family. He couldn't leave them.

He let go of his tight grip on the rafter with his rear claws. He attempted to unfurl his wings, but as expected, they gave out. The jarring impact with the wooden-beamed floor didn't kill him immediately, though it was painful. He must have broken some of the fingers in his wings.

He never even saw the fanged jaws of the larger cannibal streaking towards him.


	3. You're A Traitor!

**I'm ba-ack! I'm actually updating! Actually, I just thought that two chapters is puny for a SERIES of oneshots.**

**SO. This one is based on the book.**

The two Graywing siblings began to bolt toward the exit hole, but the thinner giant bat flared his wings, blocking it. They backpedaled with their wings and spun around in midair, flying down the stairwell to the part of the cabin where the Humans sometimes lived. The female caught a familiar shape of a Long-ear bat in her echo vision and cried,

"Scirocco! Thank Nocturna you're still alive! Help us!"

Scirocco shot a glance at her. "I can't help anyone. I have to get out of here." He dove toward the Human door, which had a corner of the window shattered and darted in the direction of the small hole.

The male Graywing loomed up in front of him, barricading the exit with his wings as the cannibal had done to them up in the attic. "Traitor!" he bellowed. "You're a traitor!"

Scirocco's eyes widened in fear, and he turned away, but was met with the female Graywing. "There never was any Promise, was there? You're a liar!" she shrieked, slashing at his left wing with a claw. "You just wanted followers and used our bands as a weakness—you just knew that we wanted something good out of them and you _lied!"_

Her brother dove at Scirocco but the Long-ear lurched to the side with a couple jerky beats of his wings. "No! Stop! Help!" he called as there was a _whoosh _of wings from above, really _big _wings—one of the cannibals was coming down as well. "There _is _a Promise! Help me!" His voice broke; the Graywings knew that he knew he wouldn't be able to escape the giant bat with his ripped wing.

"You lied," the male Graywing hissed, coming up alongside his sister. "You twisted coward!" he shouted.

"Save yourself," the female growled as she and her brother bolted through the small shattered gap in the window and Scirocco tumbled uselessly through the air, his ripped wing failing him.


	4. I'm Going Back For Her

**NOTICE: THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER OF THIS STORY.**

**This one is based on the TV series.**

The Nightwing's wings felt leaden as she flew away from the cabin. She knew she should just keep flying, but when she heard the unbanded Silverwing ask Penelope, "Where's Marina?", she knew she couldn't just fly away. Without Marina, she would never have been able to get back into the air.

She banked and her wings felt normal again, despite the dread that filled her heart at the prospect of facing the cannibals. She landed near the Silverwing—was his name Shade?—under the eaves. There was a clump of bats there, including Penelope and some others the Nightwing knew. She was about to ask Shade or Penelope where Marina was when she heard a thump on the roof, and then another one. A shadow fell over the moonlit eaves. One bat gasped. The giant bats were there.

The Nightwing pressed herself closer to the wall, her muscles tensed up, trying to restrain herself from flying away as fast as she could.

"_Shade?" _one of the cannibals said. He pressed his body closer to the roof, his head inching closer to their hiding spot. Shade let out a shaky breath, gasping with fear.

"Goth!" came a hissing voice. "Here!" The giant bat withdrew his head, and to her relief, she heard the _whoosh _of wings flying towards the chimney. Not towards her.

Then she realized something—if Marina hadn't escaped, she was still in the cabin! The cannibals were in the cabin now! The Nightwing heard a low, sinister laugh coming from the cabin. The cannibals had found their prey.

Just as she was about to rush in there, she heard frantic wingbeats exiting the cabin. She looked down and saw a bright orange shape darting out and actually sighed with relief.

**If you couldn't already tell, that was a continuation of the first chapter. After writing it, I realized that the bat that Marina helped up was under the eaves with Shade and Penelope later, so I just wrote that in so it fit.**

**Goodbye, Human beings!**

**(Get it? Get it? That wasn't a typo; 'Human' is capitalized in the _Silverwing_** **books.)**


End file.
